PLAN C: DESIGNING FOR RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, it’s becoming clear that our current systems are not equipped to handle the rapid pace of change and uncertainty. Climate change, technological disruptions, and global shifts in power dynamics are just a few examples of the challenges we face. In this context, it’s essential to design for resilience and sustainability.
A resilience strategy, such as PLAN C, is a long-term approach to building capacity to absorb and adapt to the increasing levels of uncertainty. It’s a comprehensive, structured approach to managing risks, ensuring business continuity, and securing the health, well-being, and success of individuals, communities, and organizations.
Designing for resilience and sustainability involves addressing the following key areas:
1. Risk Management: Identify, assess, and prioritize risks, without falling into complacency, by incorporating a culture of risk-taking, experimentation, and learning from failure.
2. Adaptive Capacity: Foster a strong ability to adapt, innovate, and transform in response to changing circumstances, leveraging new opportunities, and mitigating the impact of disruptions.
3. Contextual Awareness: Understand the interconnectedness of seemingly unrelated issues, recognizing the potential ripple effects of decisions and actions.
4. Boundary Spanning: Identify and leverage connections between seemingly separate areas, actors, and disciplines to foster collective action, shared understanding, and collaborative decision-making.
5. Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Develop emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and empathy to better understand others’ perspectives and build trust, fostering a work environment that demands co-creation, collaboration, and cross-pollination.
6. Time and Space: Recognize the value of both, embracing the long-term thinking that underlies a resilience strategy while acknowledging the need for flexibility and adaptability within short-term challenges.
7. Ecosystem Thinking: Understand the intricate relationships within and outside of an organization, ensuring all stakeholders, including customers, partners, and collaborators, are taken into account when making decisions.
8. Plan B, C, and D: Prepare for Multiple Outcomes: Instead of relying solely on a single plan, prepare for multiple outcomes and scenarios to ensure adaptability, resilience, and quick response to unexpected events.
9. Self-Regulation: Regularly Review, Refine, and Renew Your Approach: Continuously review, refine, and renew your approach to maintain ongoing growth, learning, and integration.
Remember, there is no single fix for building resilience and sustainability. Instead, it’s an ongoing process that requires continuous learning, adaptation, and collective action. PLAN C is about embracing an evolving, adaptive, and learning-oriented approach to meet the challenges of the 21st century.